This invention relates to a mailer and method and apparatus for making and, more particularly, to a mailer production utilizing two sheets which are superposed prior to being folded.
The invention is particularly useful in connection with a non-impact printed sheet (such as those printed by laser, ink jet, etc.) and which can be seen in greater detail in my patent Nos. 4,754,915 and 4,889,278.
The mailer made possible by the invention is advantageous in combining a computer printed form with one or more additional sheets such as a return envelope, insert, label, coupon or an outer envelope.
After processing the computer printed form on the computer for business systems information, personalization or simply addressing, the form is folded and glued on a commercial folder. According to the invention, the method provides the step of adding additional material to the mailing piece immediately before folding or directly into the nip of the folding rollers or other folding mechanism.
The computer generated form can be a simple, single ply without attachments during the computer printing operation which is particularly desirable when using laser printers. It is then possible to include additional materials in the finished mailer that would not be possible if they were added before computer printing due to the limitations of the printers.
The development of the laser printers for computer printout has provided new capabilities that are desired in business and promotional graphic systems.
The much higher speed capability of the laser printer continues the progress for ever faster printout capabilities needed to match the faster computers. Other desired capabilities of laser printers are the ability to printout in an infinite number of type sizes and styles including MICR, optical characters, bar codes, and even pictures. These special features make the future of laser printing very bright for both high speed systems and smaller slower speed but still versatile computer printers for smaller business systems.
These highly desirable features are accompanied by limitations uncharacteristic of previous computer systems. The laser printer is non-impact, thus eliminating carbon copies, carbonless imaging and multiple copies in general. The higher transport speeds of the business form in the computer complicate feeding and refolding problems which have traditionally been troublesome. The heating of the web required to fuse the image causes distortions and permanent changes to the paper which have caused feeding, refolding, and stacking problems. Finally, the laser printer tends to be envisioned as a single ply printer and requires a level surface of uniform thickness in the imaging area if high quality is to be achieved.
The requirements of business and promotional forms are at odds with these limitations. Although these systems are enhanced by the advantages of laser printers, they are also enhanced by features such as additional plies, return envelopes, folded over portions, attachments such as labels, coupons, etc.
It is the purpose of this invention to provide for these additional requirements without complicating the form to be processed on the computer printer.
There are many large and important business and promotional systems that can be met satisfactorily with a mailer using a single ply of computer printer, for instance, the issuing of checks for savings, mutual funds, and corporate dividend payments. Often these checks do not require more information to accompany them than can be provided in a single ply mailer. These requirements can be met by the mailers of my inventions 4,754,915 and 4,889,278. But it is also a common need even in relatively simple business systems to include additional sheets of information when some unexpected notice is required. In these cases, it is inconvenient, expensive, and even impractical due to time limitations to go back to the forms printer for a run of special forms.
In other systems, it is always advantageous to provide a return envelope, a label or such that is not practical to be attached to the form as it is being laser printed.
This invention concerns the folding of mailers from laser printed blanks which also has provision for adding inserts, labels, coupons, return envelopes, outgoing envelopes and the like to the single ply computer generated form before or during the folding operation. The added pieces could be in the form of individual cut pieces or from rolls or packs of continuous forms. For instance, it may be more convenient to feed return envelopes as individual pieces but pressure sensitive labels, notices, coupons and such from a continuous series supplied in rolls or fanfolded packs.
It may also be advantageous to add some of these items before the first folding operation. In this case, these items can be held by glue or other fastenings such as static electricity, crimping, or stapling or they may be friction fed along with the laser printed blanks.
In still other cases, it may be advantageous to feed the additional item directly into the folding rollers thereby achieving accurate positioning of the item on the mailing piece without requiring any fastening.
It is another purpose of this invention to provide a mailer through a method and an apparatus of adding the above-mentioned items with much less restrictions on their design and construction than would be required if the items were to be transported through the laser printer during the printing operation. The method includes providing at least two series of sheets in juxtaposed relation and introducing the forward end of at least one sheet of one series into folding means and thereafter folding one or both sheets along parallel lines. The apparatus includes a computer printer, rotating rolls defining sequential nips therebetween, buckle folder chutes between the nips, and means for feeding a pair of superposed sheets sequentially through the nips and chutes, one of the sheets being generated by the computer printer. This results in a mailer assembly including a relatively elongated outer ply having at least two transverse folds each providing a fold pocket, and an insert ply positioned in the fold pockets and extending therebetween.